Challah Bake in Honor of Omer Neutra z"l

by Shir Levenson, SSLI '26

Last night, Schechter students and parents joined community members for a challah bake in honor of Omer Neutra z”l. As the flyer titled it, it was “an evening of unity in loving memory of Captain Omer Neutra z”l." The event was a place for the community to gather and bake for Shabbat in Omer’s memory.

Midway Jewish Center, the synagogue that the Neutra family attends, hosted the event, and over 300 people gathered to prepare challah dough for their Shabbat meal. Many local organizations and other synagogues partnered with Midway to host this event including SSLI, Tri-State NCSY/TJJ, Mid Island Y-JCC, the Jewish Student Union, Tzofim (Israeli Scouts), and Project Inspire.

Mikey Benlevi, a junior and member of Shevet Gefen (the Long Island chapter for the Israeli Scouts), was at Midway on Thursday night and helped set up for the event. Benlevi shared, “Omer was a graduate of the Tzofim [the Scouts] from our shevet, and his whole family was very much involved.” Benlevi continued: “Everyone showing up and putting in work and effort into [setting up is] something that is meaningful to all of us.” He added that the evening was “a beautiful moment.”

The night began with an introduction from Rabbi Joel Levenson, the Rabbi at Midway Jewish Center and a Schechter parent. Following him, Jodie Fineman, Schechter parent and close friend of the Neutras, spoke, along with another close friend of Omer’s mother. Leaders from organizations Project Inspire and TJJ for Moms led the event and guided each table through the steps of combining ingredients to make their dough. Each participant had a personal bowl and left the event with the two challot they prepared.

Schechter students and Rabbi Levenson had a meaningful experience at the challah bake. (Uncredited) 

Ari Jurmann, a Schechter parent who attended the event, shared, “It just means a lot to know how much the whole community, from our whole region, has embraced Omer’s memory and the Neutra family. It's kind of a silver lining to a very dark cloud that this is something that brought our community together.”

As the dough was rising, leaders spoke about the importance of being grateful and recognizing the blessings in each person’s life. A classmate of Omer's and a Schechter alumna, Alyssa Mendelowitz, spoke about Omer’s impact on her life and how his light continues to shine through events like this. She reflected, “When people are able to come together like this and honor [Omer] in this way, I feel his presence more than ever. I miss him all the time, but I miss him differently at events like this because I feel like he would be here, so it makes me feel him even more.”

Mendelowitz noted that the majority of participants were from areas including Syosset, Plainview, the Five Towns, and Brooklyn. Even though many people did not have the connection to Omer that she was lucky to have, “they all showed up to be here for him, and that's incredible, and that's what we have to keep doing.”

In addition to being a challah bake, one of the goals of the event was to raise money for a campaign that Midway is hosting. With the support of the community, Midway is dedicating a Torah Scroll in Omer z”l’s honor.

Rabbi Levenson shared, “This new Torah will sit in the center of the aron kodesh [the Ark] at our Shul. I hope that it will serve as a reminder to put at the center of our lives the values of our tradition and connections to our people, which Omer beautifully exhibited in his life through his connections with the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

זכרונו לברכה
May his memory forever be a blessing.

Shir Levenson is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since December 2022. Shir is currently a junior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: slevenson26@schechterli.org